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Copyright Guidance for E-Reserves

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Getting Started

Copyright Guidance for E-Reserves

In keeping with the ARL Code of Best Practices for Academic and Research Libraries, we make course materials available to enrolled students and other qualified persons during the courses. Instructors select material for clear pedagogical purposes relating to the content and aims of the course and work with the Libraries to ensure the principles of fair use (U.S. Code: Title 17, Section 107 governing Fair Use) are properly applied.

Content likely to be acceptable for scanning includes:

  • an article from a journal

  • a chapter from a book 

  • a poem from a collected work

  • a short story from an anthology

  • a musical score  from a collected work

Content unlikely to be acceptable for scanning includes:

  • Entire books, individually published plays, and musical recordings, unless permission has been received by the rights owner

  • Entire audiovisual works (the TEACH Act might be considered for “in-class” remote uses, but cannot be applied for Course Reserves)

  • Material marketed primarily for use in courses such as textbooks, workbooks, or anthologies designed for the course

  • Harvard Business Review case studies and publications specifically forbidding reproduction

  • Print content of the instructor’s course pack available for sale at the bookstore (though content may be available already electronically)

General Guidelines

The following general guidelines apply to copyrighted materials scanned and placed on Course Reserves.

  • Materials placed on reserve will be made available only during the semester in which the course is being taught. Digital files are no longer accessible from the E-reserve system after the end of the course; they may be stored electronically but are not available to users. Reserve Lists remain available after the course is completed, however. 

  • Links to licensed full-text electronic resources will be used rather than scanning copyright-protected print material whenever possible.

  • Staff may decline requests judged to exceed fair use exemptions of U.S. Copyright Law.

  • Copyright notices appear on scanned documents to indicate that copyright law may apply to materials. All files produced by Course Reserves staff will include a complete citation and notice of copyright on the first page, indicating that the material may be subject to copyright restrictions.

  • Articles received via ILL may be placed on e-reserves; the Libraries will pay a licensing fee for such use.

We are guided by standard Copyright practice in interpretations of fair use for E-reserves.  The TEACH Act can be considered for use of electronic content in remote teaching, but cannot be applied for Electronic course reserves.